Tracking former Orangemen, from concerts to Canada, Donovan and Perry

Photo by The Associated PressZZ Top rocked the New York State Fair in 2004 and will open for the Texas A&M spring football game next month.

Syracuse, NY -- Some odds and ends scoured about the World Wide Web ...

- Former SU linebacker Shawn Garrity (1986) is president these days of MSL Sports and Entertainment, a company that is launching a series of concerts around spring football games called Gridiron Bash. About 16 schools are lined up to hold campus concerts prior to their spring football games. The lineup of acts is impressive, from Fergie at Penn State, Good Charlotte at Maryland, Alan Jackson at Alabama and the Goo Goo Dolls at Kansas State, among others. Syracuse director of athletics Daryl Gross said he talked to Garrity about a gig for Syracuse but decided it probably wouldn't be profitable. Whatever happened to concerts at the Carrier Dome anyway? It's been awhile.

- Former Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson has been signed to the practice squad of the Arena Football League's Dallas Desperados. He'll join former Orangemen Duke Pettijohn and Rick Simpkins.

- Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano announced a shakeup of his coaching staff this past weekend. In addition to hiring former SU assistant Chris Rippon (who spent the last three season at Ole Miss), Schiano also hired former SU assistant Gary Emanuel (San Jose State) to coach the defensive line. The Big East has quite the collection of former SU folks coaching these days - Randy Edsall, Terry Richardson and Scott Lakatos at UConn; Steve Dunlap at West Virginia and David Walker at Pittsburgh.

- Former SU wide receiver Pat Woodcock recently signed to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Woodcock will play for former SU assistant Dennis Goldman, who coaches the Hamilton receivers and still makes his home in Baldwinsville.

- Tony writes: "Just thought you might like to know that Mike Golic took a shot at Syracuse Football (recently) with Donovan McNabb on the show. While talking about NFL free agency, Golic mentioned he was in the NFL when free agency first began. McNabb, jokingly says, "wow, how long ago was that (or something of that nature)", to which Golic responds jokingly, "it was back when Syracuse was winning". Ouch.